Privet (Ligustrum vulgare) is a well-known, native, British hedging species. Semi-evergreen, which means it will shed some leaves over winter, but still retain leaves for creating a screen for privacy. It is very commonly planted as it makes an attractive, tight hedge which lends itself to trimming and manicuring. Its leaves are an attractive, dark-green and it carries long clusters of shiny black fruit in autumn, if untrimmed. Privet can reach a height of 3m (10ft).

Benefits of using our plug plant trees

Our Privet hedging trees are sold as plug plants, in other words the roots are encased in compost. This means that planting can be carried out at any time of the year, provided they are watered in periods of drought, compared to bare-root plants which can only be planted during the plants normal dormant period (November to March). All of these trees are UK grown, which is important for successful establishment.

Delaying Planting Cell Grown TreesIf you cannot plant straight away, take the trees out of the packaging and stand upright next to each other in a sheltered location outside. November to March, no need to water unless they start to dry out.

Site Conditions And Evergreen Tree List

Our tree chartdetails which site conditions suit which trees and also which are evergreen or semi-evergreen.

Feeding Or Fertilizing HedgesAny nitrogen based fertilizer will do such as 20:20:10 but the longer lasting ones which take 18/24 months are better as they are regulated by the weather and moisture therefore release slowly.

Second line of hedging or staggered rowWe recommend planting the second line of trees 25cm or 10 inches away from the firstif using the staggered hedging approach. Consider buying 10% more than you need and plant the spares elsewhere so you have immediate replacements for damaged or diseased trees.

Hedge ProtectionFor all hedging protection please view the Tree Extra section and if you are looking to plant lots of plug plant or cell grown trees (the 10-40cm-ish) size range then maybe you should consider our tree planting tool. Tree planting rates of over 700 per day achievable.

You would think that thorny plants would put rabbits off from eating them however this is not the case. They are happy to take the pain regardless of the cost (sounds like rabbits would be suited to marriage)

Using Bark or wood chip mulch for hedging treesMice like to use this as a nest/home/holiday retreat and they eat the bark (especially Beech). Periodically check for damage below the mulch or bark layer. Alternatively use gravel or plastic sheeting as a method of keeping weeds.

Adding Fragrance And Colour To Your Hedge.Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum) is a very popular addition to any garden due to the strong fragrance, splash of colours and interest it generates from other wildlife. Click the link to find out more.